Akufo-Addo expresses shock over Mahama’s Free SHS claim
President Nana Akufo-Addo has expressed shock at former President Mahama for claiming credit for the Free SHS policy rolled out by the current NPP administration.
President Akufo-Addo described as outright lies the claim that NDC government started the policy.
Former President Mahama had claimed that his party birthed the policy.
On November 24, 2020, whilst on a tour of some constituencies in the Upper East Region, Mr Mahama who is the flagbearer of the NDC for the 2020 elections stated:
“We started the programme and the NPP came and continued it. Unfortunately, the implementation has been very poor, and so it ended us in double track. I assure you my countrymen, that within one year, I will cancel the double track,” Mr Mahama stressed at Tuobong, a community in the Tempane District .
On Tuesday, 24th November 2020, whilst on a tour of some constituencies in the Upper East stated that “we started the programme (Free SHS) and the NPP came and continued it.”
However, the comments irked President Akufo-Addo who stated that what he heard from Mr Mahama“ shocked me”.
Addressing drivers at the Odorkor Lorry station on Wednesday, November 25, 2020, as part of his tour of the Greater Accra Region, President Akufo-Addo indicated that Mr Mahama had always been against the programme.
“They (John Mahama and the NDC) said that I was deceiving Ghanaians, and that it was a vote-buying gimmick and that for it (Free SHS) to be possible, it would take about 20 years”.
He continued, “Not long ago, he said that if he had GH¢2 billion, he wouldn’t use it to pay school fees, but rather he would use it on something profitable. Today, he says that he (Mahama) introduced Free S.H.S. Are we going to allow the former president to come back to power through lies and deception?”, he questioned.
This attracted a big “no” response from the NPP supporters at the location.
“It is unfair for the former President to try to become President using deception and lies. He has seen that his campaign is collapsing in confusion and fabrications, and so he is now using outright lies to try and amass votes,” he said.
The President added that the “lies” from the NDC presidential candidate “are borne out of one thing, and that is his campaign is failing to catch up with the electorate. He has seen that his campaign is collapsing in confusion, fabrications and now outright lies.”
Free SHS policy
The Free SHS education policy in Ghana was a government initiative introduced in the September 2017 by President Nana Akuffo-Addo.
The policy’s origination began as part of the presidential campaign during Ghana’s 2016 election period and has become an essential part of Ghana’s educational system.
The policy’s core themes of access, equity and equality fulfil the United Nations modified Sustainable Development Goals, where member countries amalgamate those themes in their educational systems to certify adequate learning experiences for students.